Cal UAS Portal: Sky’s the limit

Among the stories of 2013, unmanned systems and Cal UAS Portal dominated the news in the Indian Wells Valley.

By Jack BarnwellCITY EDITORjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Among the stories of 2013, unmanned systems and Cal UAS Portal dominated the news in the Indian Wells Valley.

Editor’s note: This article was written before the Federal Aviation Administration released designations for six test sites.

Inyokern Airport and California Unmanned Aircraft Systems Portal (Cal UAS Portal) made the news in 2013. In 2012, Congress made headlines when it directed the Federal Aviation Administration to take a bold step forward: integrating unmanned aircraft systems (commonly known as drones or UAVs) into the National Airspace by the end of 2015.A year went by while various sites across the nation put out feelers and silently began to prepare for a possible announcement. On Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, the FAA opened the call for RFPs for potential UAS test sites to help begin the transition of drones into civilian airspace.Cal UAS Portal, led by Eileen Shibley, took on the challenge and began gathering data ranging from environment and terrain to team members and privacy concerns.Teams and applicants in other states began acquiring capital and financial backing from corporations and state governments. California was alone in not throwing any support behind its own initiative, despite the touted potential the industry could give the state.Inyokern persisted, and built a team and resources, as well as political clout. Despite hurdles from a team in Ventura putting in its own bid, Inyokern gained momentum. It had the advantage of tapping into the brainpower from Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake’s weapons division, a headquarters based inside 19,600 square miles of restricted or controlled airspace, was situated in the middle of the Mojave Desert.Political support has come from House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, state Senator Jean Fuller and Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, followed by the Kern County Board of Supervisors and the Ridgecrest City Council.Partners in San Diego signed on to Inyokern in April. In October, it garnered the support San Diego/Imperial County Congressional leaders, including heavy hitters like Congressman Darrell Issa.As national media focused on drones more and more, reports surfaced about the potential for civilian use. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International released a study estimating an explosion of jobs and economic development over ten years of integration took place by the end of 2015. Everything from road surveying to agriculture would reap the benefits of UAVs in a civilian capacity.Privacy also became a concern, with many media outlets addressing very valid fears that civil liberties could be violated if regulations were not put into place. Some states and municipalities took the first step by passing anti-drone laws.In the Indian Wells Valley, support remained high, with little concern of privacy and more keen interest on the technological aspects of civilian drones. California named Inyokern Airport as the headquarters of a new innovation hub in its goal to broaden economic development in the state.At Inyokern Airport, Cal UAS situated itself in a new headquarters, and quickly assembled new partners. Three tenants took up residence in the new lab, and named a new director of robotic farming. To combat lack of cash, companies that saw potential in Inyokern as a test site generously donated technologies.In November, it threw open the doors with a massive Cal UAS Day, drawing an estimated 6,000 people in one day to explore both the airport and the potential of drone technology.On Dec. 30, the year ended with a slight sour note. Six test sites were named, but California was not on the list. Instead the honor went to applicants in Alaska, Texas, Nevada, to North Dakota, Virginia Tech and New York Griffiss Airport.Despite not securing an FAA test site designation, however, Cal UAS recognized that it filled a niche and will move forward with continuing its research and testing. It means a few more hoops to jump through, but it has been far from grounded.“We’ve said before that Cal UAS’s endeavor will succeed because business wants it to, and because there is a core team of people behind it that knows what to do with it,” Shibley said in a Nov. 12 interview. “The way that is possible is because business knows that there is something there.”Kern County Supervisor Mick Gleason, and former NAWS China Lake commanding officer, described it best in an August interview for Perspective Magazine.“No matter who wins, even if it’s some site in Florida, they are going to still need to develop capabilities for unmanned systems,” Gleason said. “This whole FAA proposal is just the first step in an industry that is going gangbusters and what we need to is get businesses to recognize the value of Inyokern.”